Catching up on some backlog today, here’s a few photos from last Thursday night’s show at Johnny Brenda’s in Philadelphia with Gildon Works, A Place To Bury Strangers, and Holy F*ck. First up was Philadelphia’s Gildon Works, this was the sceond time I had seen them and it was even more impressive than the first. Since the last time I’d seen them they added a couple additional members including a female percussionist/backup vocalist. Their blend of psychedelic shoe gazey, noisey, pop really kicked the night off on a high note. Their new cd is being released soon , watch out for it. Next up was a band whose live show I had heard numerous raves about including a number of blistering appearances at SXSW, A Place To Bury Strangers. They did not disappoint. Taking the stage in total darkness, coming on like the bastard children of Jesus And Mary Chain and Sonic Youth, they proceeded to tear into a mind numbing aural assault of what can best be described as melodic white noise. Fueled by powerhouse drumming with guitar and bass turned up well past the distortion point, it was as mesmerizing as it was loud. The only real lighting during the show was some black and white film footage projected onto the stage, the mostly dark atmosphere only helped to increase the intensity. They ended their set with a strobe light flashing the whole time as the guitar player literally tore all the strings from his guitar in a haze of feedback drenched sound. Do not miss them if you get the chance, it was absolutely amazing. I would not have wanted to be the band to have to go on after them they set the bar incredibly high. Holy F*ck rose to the challenge however and drove the energy level even higher by working the crowd into a dancing frenzy with their instrumental and highly rhythmic songs. Go see these bands on tour if you can. For another take on the show be sure to read Carly’s review over at Girl About Town where you can also see some great photos of Holy F*ck by SinABox Camera.

What do you really call a list like this, best of ?, top ? favorites ? it’s all so subjective in the end anyway and based on what you personally listened to. I listened to more music this past year than I have in a long time, so after much deliberation, roughly akin to organizing a pile of sand in the wind, I committed to a final 25 that for the sake of posting I’m going to call the Top 25 Albums Of 2007. The albums I enjoyed and listened to the most. If I looked at it again tomorrow I’d probably shuffle it around again but I had to stop somewhere or I’d never get it posted. So without further ado here’s number 21 to 25 of my top 25 albums of 2007. Expect some surprises.

21:Lily Allen – Alright Still The perfect summer album, big beats, plenty of sing a long lines, this blasted from my car stereo nearly all summer. At its best when it moves away from the more reggae influenced sound that dominates about half the album, the New Orleans piano riff of Knock Me Out and the swinging sixties sound of Everything’s Just Wonderful make them standout tracks.MP3: Lily Allen – Everything’s Just WonderfulBuy Alright Still22: John Fogerty – Revival Due to some interesting industry restructuring John Fogerty ended up back on the label that had made most of his post Creedence years a legal hell. Who can ever forget about him being sued for sounding like himself. In doing so he ended up releasing what is possibly the best solo album since the band broke up. Lyrically one of the most directly political and biting albums of the year and filled with the signature guitar sound that made him the legend he is today.

23: Wilco – Sky Blue Sky The seventies rock sound is something that had been creeping into indie rock for a while but no one really wanted it to lay claim it as a major influence. Wilco turned the page for everyone on that ideology with this one. Warm soft production laced with Nels Clines snaking guitar solos, Wilco took the sound of an era that inspired punk rock and made it relevant again.

24: Band Of Horses – Cease To Begin Opening their album with Is There A Ghost, one of the best single tracks of the year, set the bar pretty high for what followed. After the first couple listens I almost wrote this one off as a couple hits and a lot of filler, but it’s really a grower where repeated listenings pay off.

MP3 : Ode To LRCBuy Cease To Begin25: Holy F*ck – 2007 EP The first time I heard these guys was opening for !!! and was blown away. Their all instrumental dance music is created all manually, no sequencers or drum machines holding the mix together. To see these guys on stage manipulating a myriad of random equipment into something this beautiful and engaging is amazing. Six of their best songs and no filler on this one which I listened to quite a bit.